Islington

Islington's population expanded in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in religion, housing tenure and ethnicity.

The population passed 200,000

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Islington increased by 17%, from almost 176,000 to 206,000.

The addition of just over 30,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Islington was home to, on average, 99 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it England's most densely-populated borough.

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Islington

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Islington decreased by one year, from 32 to 31 years.

This cosmopolitan area had a lower average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just under 14,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 70 and 79 years decreased by almost 300.

About 24% of people in Islington are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Islington by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing relationships in Islington

Islington saw England's largest fall in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

In 2011, just under one in nine (11%) people aged 16 and over in Islington said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner, compared with 12% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 28% to 26%.

City of London saw the next largest fall (from 12% to 10%).

Because of its small size, comparisons to City of London should be made with caution.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was higher than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Islington

The number of people in Islington that described themselves as Christian increased from about 95,000 in 2001 to just under 83,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 54% to 40% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across London (from 58% to 48%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in Islington that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 42,000 in 2001 to about 62,000 in 2011 (from 24% to 30%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from about 18,000 to about 34,000 (from 10% to 17%).

Just under 20,000 people (8.1%) said they were Muslim, up from about 14,000 in 2001 (9.5%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Christian in Islington decreased by 14 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Islington by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

Islington saw London's largest rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple.

In 2011, just over one in nine (12%) households in Islington had an unmarried couple, compared with 9.4% in 2001. The percentage with just one person decreased from 44% to 39%.

Across the region, Wandsworth saw the next largest increase in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple (from 10% in 2001 to 12% in 2011).

During this period, Islington overtook Southwark, Lewisham and Lambeth to become the London local authority area with the second-highest percentage of cohabiting households.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple was higher than across London

Percentage of households that had an unmarried couple across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Islington stood out from other areas for children

In Islington, the proportion came down from 24% in 2001 to 22% in 2011. During the same period, the regional proportion increased from 29% to 31%.

The proportion of households without children in Islington increased from 70% to 71%, while the proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents increased from 6.5% to 6.7%.

The proportion of households with children was lower than across London

Percentage of households with at least one dependent child across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

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